Spinel

Item Description

The impressive Spinel crystals from the Mahenge area in Tanzania are among the best examples of the species to be found in the last 20+ years. They are often compared with the classic red Spinel crystals from Mogok, Myanmar in terms of in terms of size, color and quality. While both localities feature crystals with a saturated pink/red hue, they are rarely found on matrix. This thumbnail sized piece was found in 2010 and features A cluster of fine quality, sharp, well-formed, euhedral octahedral crystals of strong rose-red colored Spinel, free of matrix . The crystals are translucent when backlit, and they have the added bonus of displaying a slightly "silky" quality, similar to the silk that one would see in a Ruby or Sapphire crystal. Good quality on the front/display side, but incomplete on the back where the Spinel crystals grew up against the marble host rock. For a final touch, the Spinels show an intense cherry-red fluorescence under UV light. Ex Dr. Stephen Smale Collection. Along with amassing one of the finest private mineral collections in the world, Steve is a renowned mathematician. His accomplishments include being awarded the Fields Medal in 1966 along with being the awarded the Wolf Prize in mathematics in 2007. You can read Steve's bio on the Mineralogical Record website ( https://mineralogicalrecord.com/biographies_labels/smalestephen/ ) or on Wikipedia.